in an offshore drilling process, a pipe conduit may connect a subsea well to a surface drilling facility for transport of produced drilling fluids away from the well, thereby preventing drilling fluids from leaking into the water. Pressure control stacks, such as a blowout preventer stack, are used on wellheads during drilling operations to prevent uncontrollable escape of crude oil and/or natural gas due to relatively high pressure in the well. A subsea wellhead system providing structural and pressure-containing interface for the drilling and production equipment also serves to retain oil and/or gas within a temporarily abandoned well.
Offshore drilling presents environmental risks and safety challenges from produced hydrocarbons, materials used during the drilling operation, and adverse weather conditions. Consequently, there are stringent demands to the control and containment of the well during drilling, production and intervention work. Development of subsea technology has increased the demand of multipurpose equipment to increase work and environmental safety, while maintaining the economic feasibility of exploiting subsea hydrocarbons.
From the foregoing discussion, there is a desire for improved well containment and equipment testing components, which can enhance the safety and efficiency of offshore drilling operations.